He held up his hands and took a step back. “I tried to help you, Silver, but I’ve got a date lined up tonight, and I need to look fresh. I’ll tell Kennedy you fought a good fight, but no man is a match next to Sage.”
I leaned toward Sage and flattened my hands on the counter. “Look, Sage. I’m not here to fight with you. All I want is six chocolate cookies and black coffee. Just take my money, don’t even worry about change, and hand everything over.”
She growled but snatched the twenty out of my hand. She would have been foolish to say no. She was getting more than a twelve-dollar tip for two minutes of work.
“I see you’ve been keeping Kennedy busy this past week. I went over to her house on Tuesday for surprise facials, and she wasn’t there. I ended up raiding her fridge and giving myself a facial,” Karlton pouted.
I chuckled and grabbed the bag that Sage thrust at me. “Eating all of Kennedy’s food probably isn’t a good idea.” That woman had a ferocious appetite for food and well, other things too.
“Pfft, she owes me.”
“For what?” I asked.
Karlton thrust his hip out and put his hand on his waist. “Well for you, duh. Pretty sure you wouldn’t be taking up all of my girl’s time if it weren’t for me.”
Sage slammed down my Styrofoam cup of coffee and stormed away from the counter. “Service with a smile,” I muttered. I hadn’t even tried to piss her off today. All I asked for was cookies and coffee, and she acted like I had spit in her face.
“So how are things going with you and Kennedy? I’ve heard her side of what’s been going on, but I’m kind of interested in hearing what’s going on in your head.”
“I’ve got training in ten minutes with Roman, Karlton.”
Sage slammed a pan in the sink and glared at Karlton and me. “You got your cookies, now leave.”
Molly bustled out from the storage room and looked between Sage and me. “Oh Jesus. I thought you two were done being kids,” she grumbled.
I held up my cookies and coffee. “I got what I came for, and I was nice.”
“He totally was,” Karlton added. “I think Sage might need a Midol cocktail,” he whispered loudly.
Sage yanked her apron off, tossed it on the counter, and grabbed her purse. “I’m going home. I’m sick.” Sage stormed out of the café, and I watched her march over to her car and take off like a bat out of hell.
Bess made her way over to us and set her empty cup on the counter. “What in the devil has gotten into her?”
“Erg… I just…” Karlton stuttered. Even he was speechless.
Molly grabbed the discarded apron from the counter and balled it up in her hands. “I’m not sure what is going on with her. The past two days, she’s been as grumpy as a bear with an empty picnic basket.”
Bess chuckled, and I couldn’t help but grin. “That’s some analogy.”
Molly shrugged and tossed the apron in the laundry basket next to the counter. “I don’t know what to do about it. She asked for the day off tomorrow. Maybe that might help her figure out whatever is going on, and she’ll be back to normal.”
“Maybe that girls’ night you’ve been planning might help her relax,” Bess suggested.
“That’s not for another week. I’m not sure my customers will be able to handle her like this ‘til then,” Molly replied, defeated.
“Oh buck up, sugar. I can come and help figure out what’s going on with her, and if need be, you can always give her a few more days off if that’ll help her.” Bess walked around the counter and put her arm around Molly’s shoulders. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, hon. Don’t worry yourself over this.”
Molly sighed and rested her head on Bess’ shoulder. “I know, but I just wish she would talk to me.”
Bess waved off Karlton and me. “You two, scamper away. I’m going to help Molly shut down, and if you go over to the karate house, tell Kellan his woman needs booze.”
“Wait, what?” Molly stuttered. “Don’t tell Kellan that.”
“Just go sit down in the store room for a bit, and let me handle everything.” Bess pushed Molly to the store room and closed the door behind her.
“Boys, move. Make sure you tell Kellan to get a big ol’ bottle.” Bess chased us out the door and threw the lock.
Karlton dusted off his shoulders and shook his head. “I’m really not sure what just happened, but that was weird. Weird even for me.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and couldn’t help but agree. “I guess I’ll go talk to Kellan, although I’m not sure I should mention the whole booze thing.”
“Hold on there, Silver Fox. You never answered my question about you and Kennedy. I need to know where your head is and if it matches where my girl’s is.”
I took a sip of my coffee and look Karlton dead in the eye. “How I feel about Kennedy is really between her and me, but I can tell you she’s it.”
“It, as in you see this lasting longer than this whole decoy crap?”
“Isn’t the decoy crap all your idea to begin with?”
“Yes, but Kennedy needs more than that.”
“She’s it, Karlton. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
Karlton huffed and stomped his foot. “I do not accept this. How am I supposed to know what’s going on if you don’t tell me? I can’t be Uncle Karlton knowing nothing.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” I laughed.
“Fine, fine. This is fine.” He looked over at the laundromat and shook his head. “Never mind, this isn’t fine. I need to get my change and head to the liquor store. Booze is the best suggestion Bess has ever had. Later, Silver Fox.” Karlton jogged down the sidewalk and disappeared into the laundromat.
“Now, that was weird,” I muttered. Although I shouldn’t be that surprised since it was Karlton I was talking to.
He wanted to know what was up with Kennedy and me, but honestly, I wasn't sure what was going on. All I knew was I was falling in love with her, and spending every second I could with her was amazing. I had never thought that at the age of thirty-nine, I would find the woman who I would want to start a family with.
Like I had told Karlton, Kennedy was it, and there wasn’t a damn thing that was going to get in my way.
**********
Chapter 23
Kennedy
“It?”
“Yes, it.”
What in the heck was it? “Karlton, you’re going to have to calm down and speak slowly. I have no idea what you are jabbering on with.” My hair was wrapped up in a towel, and I was standing naked in front of the bathroom mirror talking to Karlton on speaker getting ready for tonight. Dante was due to show up any minute, and I was trying to get the main part of my primping done and over with.
“My lord, child. I swear, you need to keep up,” Karlton sighed, exasperated. “I saw Dante at the café. Sage had a meltdown and stormed out. Bess volunteered to help. I talked to Dante, and he said you were it.”
“Why did he say I was it?” Were we playing tag or something?
“Because I asked him where his head was with you two, and his reply was after he told me that it was basically none of my business, that you were it. As in, the one.”
I wasn’t sure what to do with that information. I was torn in two directions. The fact that Dante thought I was it excited me knowing that he wanted to be with me, but then I also had to ask myself was that what I wanted?
“Kennedy, are you there, girl?” Karlton called.
“Um, yeah. I’m here. I’m just trying to get ready for tonight,” I said absently. My mind was on Dante and not about what eyeshadow I was going to wear. Dropping the “it” bomb on me before going to my mother’s house was not the smartest thing.
You know when you feel like you’re in a dream and everything is hunky dory, but then you wake up confused as hell?
Well, Karlton had just woken me up, and I had no idea what to do.
“What did you decide to wear?” he asked, snapping me o
ut of my stupor.
“Um, black pants and a flowy flowered tank top,” I answered looking at the shirt and pants I had hanging on the back of the bathroom door.
“Brands, sugar. You know I need to know who you’re wearing.”
I chuckled. Karlton would make a good interviewer on the red carpet. “Versace, I think.”
Karlton sighed. “Shoes?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Pumps, I think.”
“What kind of pants are they?”
“Black and flowy at the bottom.”
“Go strappy and tall. Dante is freakin’ tall, so even going with a six-inch heel, you’ll still be fine.”
“That would be good if I owned a six-inch heel,” I laughed.
“Lord have mercy. Tell your mother she needs to stock your closet better.”
“That’ll be the first thing I tell her when I see her tonight.” Karlton was a kook. “I need to finish getting ready before Dante gets here. I’ll give you the play-by-play of what happens tomorrow.”
“Toddles, sugar. Knock ‘em dead tonight.”
I ended the call and turned back on the music I had playing. Halestorm blared through the little speaker I had next to the sink, and I looked at myself in the mirror.
“What are you going to do, Kennedy?” I asked out loud.
Ever since Dante and I had agreed to the benefits, I’d been happy. But now that we were about to put the decoy part of the plan into play, I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore.
“You are an indecisive bitch, aren’t you?”
I was happy with Dante, but I was terrified out of my mind that it was all going to stop. So, maybe I should stop it before he stops it.
“But why would he stop it?”
I leaned into the mirror and pressed my forehead against it. “And now you’re talking to yourself,” I muttered.
Advice was what I needed, but I had no idea who to talk to. Karlton was so gung-ho for this to work, and I needed someone who didn’t care how this turned out either way.
Sage.
Sage was the one person who I knew who would tell me what was what and not worry about hurting my feelings. Although Karlton had mentioned her having some kind of meltdown today. Dammit, but I needed someone to talk to.
“Screw it,” I grunted. I glanced at the time before I connected the call. I had fifteen minutes before Dante was due to be here, so I needed to get this done quick.
“Kennedy?” Sage asked when she answered the phone.
“Yeah, I’m sorry to call, but I need some help.”
I heard a little boy ask who was on the phone in the background. I had forgotten Sage had a son. Now I felt like an even bigger ass for taking her away from her kid to ask her something that I should know the answer to.
“Is everything okay?”
I cleared my throat. “It’s about Dante. I don’t know what to do.”
“About what? I thought you two were dating.”
“Err, we are, but I found out he thinks I’m it, and I’m absolutely terrified.”
“What do you mean by it?”
“It, as in marriage and babies.”
“Wow, y’all work quick,” she laughed.
“Well, those are my words, but that’s what I think when I hear it. I mean, Karlton is the one who told me so he may have hugely exaggerated, but I need someone to talk me off the ledge here.”
Sage sighed. “How would you feel if you couldn’t talk to Dante for the rest of your life?”
“Um, well…”
“Don’t think about it, just answer the question.”
“That would suck.”
“What’s your favorite thing about him?”
“Are we doing like twenty questions here, because if we are, we’re going to have to speed this up because I need to get my head on straight quick because he's going to be here in fifteen minutes.” I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked at the screen. “Make that thirteen minutes,” I mumbled into the phone.
“Jesus. First Molly, and then Hadley. Now I need to talk you through falling in love with a ninja.”
“I’m not talking about love,” I insisted.
“Well, I am. This is all simple, Kennedy. Think of living without him.”
I pursed my lips and closed my eyes. “That would suck.”
“But can you live without him?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Then there is your answer. You’re scared because your heart is involved, Kennedy. I know you two started this as some weird fake thing, but obviously, it turned into something more. He says you’re it for him, and from what you just told me, he is it for you too.”
I sighed and clutched the phone in my hand. “What if he changes his mind after he meets my mom?”
“And what if after meeting your mom, he tells you himself that you’re it? Stop overthinking everything and just follow your damn gut, Kennedy. You girls just need to follow your gut and stop being such girls about shit.”
Well, this was what I needed to hear, but I could tell that Sage wasn’t her normal self. She used to give it to you straight, but she would put a little bit of sugar on top of the truth. “How are you doing?”
“I’m alive. Sam's a butt. I could use a fifty-two-week vacation. The usual,” she sighed.
“Karlton mentioned something about a meltdown,” I said hesitantly.
Sage laughed. “Yeah, that was far from a meltdown. I wasn’t feeling good and took it out on Dante and Karlton. It was nothing.”
I doubt that it was nothing, but I didn’t want to pester her into talking to me. “Well, I’m always around if you want to talk.”
“I’ll remember that,” she muttered. “Have fun tonight, and remember just go with your gut, girl.”
“Will do,” I laughed. “Talk to you later.”
A knock sounded on the front door, and I knew my time to get ready was over, and all I had on was a towel.
Shit.
“Coming,” I hollered. I’m sure Dante would appreciate me answering the door naked, but we, unfortunately, didn’t have time for anything but for me to finish getting ready and we had to be out the door.
I dashed to the door with a towel wrapped around me and pulled it open. “I’m not ready. Don’t touch me or we’ll never leave,” I called as I sprinted back to the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind me.
In the two seconds that I had seen Dante, he looked handsome as hell, and I was going to have to take a picture of him to show Karlton. Dante cleaned up well, and he was going to impress the hell out of my mother.
“Honey?” he called from the other side of the door.
I flipped the lock on the door. “Fifteen minutes. You can’t touch me because Karlton called, told me something that freaked me out, and then I had to call Sage so she could give it to me straight.” That was maybe more information than I needed to give.
“Can I at least get a proper hello?”
I laughed and grabbed my bra off the sink. “No. Your kind of hello involves lips and hands.”
“You normally like those kinds of hellos.”
I rolled my eyes, contorting myself into my bra, and hopped into my panties. “Go get a drink or something.”
“I’m driving, honey.”
Duh, Kennedy. “Then go get me a drink.” I needed Dante to get away from the door, and the drink would help calm my nerves. I shimmied my black pants up my legs, floated my top over my head, and got to work on my makeup. My eyes scanned all of the brushes and various pots of makeup, and I realized I still didn’t know how to do my makeup very well. Not only did my mother provide me with the wardrobe to be a Stepford wife, but she also sent the paint to do it too.
I passed over the foundation and powder because it always felt like a coat of dirt on my skin and just smeared on some eye shadow and eyeliner. A little lip gloss on my lips and I was good to go. Well, except for the towel that was still wrapped around my head.
“Vivian will not approve,” I mu
mbled to myself.
“Open the door, honey,” Dante called.
The damn man was too quick. I needed it to take him ten minutes to get wine, not ten seconds. “Can you put it in a to-go cup?”
“Kennedy, open the damn door,” he growled.
And that was the tone I didn’t mess with. I turned the lock, opened the door a crack, and stuck my hand out. “Gimme, gimme.”
“Let me in.”
Gah, did he not understand that we were on a timeline here? “No touching,” I mumbled as I opened the door.
Dante invaded my space, putting a hand on my stomach, set the glass of wine on the sink, and pinned me against the bathroom counter. “Stop freakin’ out, honey. Everything is going to be fine.”
I tipped my head back and looked up at him. “You really don’t understand the depth of how crappy this is. We’re meeting my mother, and we have to pull the wool over her eyes. She needs to think that we’re madly in love and can’t breathe without each other.”
Dante brushed my wet hair from my face and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “That shouldn’t be hard to do since I am falling in love with you.”
All air left my lungs, and my hands bunched his shirt in my hands. “Huh?” I croaked.
“You heard me, Kennedy. I know you keep telling yourself that we’re just playing a game here, but you and I both know that this is a whole lot more than me being your decoy. I want it to be more than that.”
I gulped and face-planted into his chest. “Horrible timing,” I muttered. He couldn’t have waited to drop this bombshell after we had been to my mom’s? My talk with Sage had helped, but I still needed more time to process everything. “You think we can continue this conversation after tonight?”
Dante’s arms wrapped around me. “I don’t see a couple of hours making a difference. I already know what I want.”
Yeah, he wanted it, which was me. “Mmmkay.” Thankfully, he wasn’t insisting we talk about this now. I didn’t have the brain capacity to sort through everything I was feeling. “You go sit over there and try not to touch me. I need to sort out my hair.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s the toilet, honey.”
Black Belt in Love (Powerhouse MA Book 3) Page 15